Oil drain valves for installation on tractor trailers and other motorized vehicles must typically be removed or opened in order to allow oil to be released from a crankcase or oil pan during an oil change. Prior art oil drain valves can be difficult to open and often require additional tools for doing so. Newer oil drain valves have been created which include levers for opening and closing the valve by hand. These levers are easy to actuate in order to change the oil drain valve from a closed state to an open state and vice versa. However, these levers are also exposed to the environment below the vehicle during driving conditions. It has been found that these levers can be hit by debris or other objects when a vehicle is driving down the road. Sometimes, contact made by debris will accidentally actuate the lever and open the oil drain valve, creating an oil leak in the vehicle. An oil leak that occurs while driving in this manner can be dangerous to the environment, and may even damage the vehicle if the leak is not discovered very quickly by an alert driver.
Thus, an oil drain valve that provides for ease of opening and closing that does not include an exposed lever would be well received in the art.